Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe

Author(s): Samuel Noah Kramer

Source: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 69, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1949), pp. 199-
215
Published by: American Oriental Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/596246 .
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 SCHOOLDAYS: A SUMERIAN COMPOSITION RELATING TO THE
EDUCATION OF A SCRIBE
SAMUEL NOAH KRAMER
UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
UNTIL RECENTLYvery little about education in
ancient Sumer had been uncovered. Near Eastern
scholars generally realized that the learning of the
three 'R's' was not universal in the land, but was
probably confined to those boys and young men
who aimed to become professional scribes, or as
the Sumerians themselves called them dub-sar
'tablet-writers.' They knew, too, that the Su-
merian word for school was e-dub-ba 'tablet-
house,' and that the pupil was known as dumu-
e-dub-ba 'son of the tablet-house.' But we had
practically no details of the activities carried on
in these ancient Sumerian schools, which with
their Egyptian counterparts may not inaptly be
described as the oldest educational centers known
to man. It is therefore a real privilege to present
the contents of a Sumerian literary document
describing in considerable detail the experiences
and reactions of an ancient Sumerian schoolboy,
and, to a lesser extent, the behavior and attitude
of his teachers and parents.
This brief composition, which may have been
first created as early as 2000 B. c., is one of the
most 'human' documents excavated in the Near
East; its relatively simple, straightforward words
reveal how little human nature has really changed
throughout the millennia. Thus we find our
ancient schoolboy, not unlike his modern counter-
part, terribly afraid of coming late to school ' lest
his teacher cane him.' When he awakes he hurries
his mother to prepare his lunch. In school he
seems to misbehave and is caned more than once
by the teacher and his rather sadistic assistants.
As for the teacher or schoolmaster, his pay seems
as meager then as it is now; at least he seems to
be only too happy to make a 'little extra ' from
the parents in order to eke out his earnings.
The original author of the composition must
have been one of the teachers comprising the
faculty of the 'tablet-house,' although it is diffi-
cult to determine at present the specific purposes
that motivated him. In any case it proved to be
a highly popular work; it was copied again and
again, and its title has been found listed in one
199
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of the two ancient Sumerian literary catalogues
which have been uncovered (cf. BASOR 88.16,
note 50). In the main the composition is written
in prose, but some of the speeches are poetic in
form (cf. lines 13-16, and lines 59-end). Its con-
tents may be divided into two main sections. In
the first (lines 1- probably 46), the pupil, in
answer to the author's direct question, describes
his activities and experiences in school in the first
person; it therefore purports to be autobiographi-
cal in character. On the other hand, in the re-
mainder of the composition, which relates of the
teacher's invitation to the pupil's home, the author
describes the incidents in the usual narrative form,
and speaks of the pupil in the third person. Briefly
summarized the contents of the composition may
be sketched as follows:
In answer to the author's question about his
school activities the lad gives what seems to be a
rather generalized description of the day's work;
he read( ?) his tablet, ate lunch, prepared and
wrote a (new) tablet, and was then assigned oral
(?) and written (?) work. He then volunteers
a description of some of his after-school experi-
ences. Upon the school's dismissal he went home,
read( ?) his tablet to his delighted father, ate
supper, went to bed, arose early in the morning,
and departed for school with two 'rolls' which his
mother had given him. He arrived late and,
though the monitor (?) seems to let him pass
with a mere rebuke, he entered before his teacher
with a pounding heart. He then describes in
considerable detail some of the school activities,
but unfortunately the passage is broken at several
points and contains a number of unintelligible
phrases so that its contents are at present largely
obscure. One fact stands out: it was a bad day
for our ancient pupil. He was caned by the various
members of the school staff for his indiscretions,
and three times by the teacher himself-once with
the reprimand that his 'hand' was unsatisfactory.
Following a passage which is not too clear, the
pupil turns to his father and seems to suggest
that it might be a good thing to invite the teacher
200 KRAMER:Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe
to his home and offer him some presents. The
father agrees, and the teacher is brought to the
schoolboy's house. There he is seated in the place
of honor, thanked heartily by the father for edu-
cating his son in the intricacies of the scribal art,
and following a banquet in his honor, is presented
with various gifts. Warmed and moved by this
unexpected generosity, the teacher waxes poetic
and blesses the aspiring scribe in highly reassuring
words.
The text of our 'schooldays' composition can
be restored from twenty-one tablets and fragments,
all actually written some time during the first half
of the second millennium B. C.; for complete de-
tails see the last paragraph of this introduction
and note 220. Of these twenty-one pieces, thirteen
are in the University Museum of the University of
of Pennsylvania, seven are in the Museum of the
Ancient Orient in Istanbul, and one is in the
Louvre. The twenty tablets and fragments in the
University Museum and in the Museum of the
Ancient Orient were excavated by the University
of Pennsylvania at Nippur some fifty years ago;
the tablet in the Louvre was brought from a dealer
and its provenience is uncertain. The history of
the gradual piecing together of its contents is as
follows: In 1909, exactly forty years ago, Hugo
Radau published a small tablet in the University
Museum containing an extract from the middle
of the text; he made no comment on the nature of
its contents, however. Five years later, Stephen
Langdon published a small tablet in the Istanbul
Museum of the Ancient Orient which contained
another extract from the middle of the composi-
tion; he described its contents as legendary. In
1924, Edward Chiera published a small fragment
in the Museum of the Ancient Orient; at that
time he considered it part of a legendary series
dealing with the origin of Babylonian civilization.
In 1939, De Genouillac published a small tablet
in the Louvre inscribed with the first twenty-six
lines of our composition; he described its contents
as a poem by a young scribe exalting his parents
and his school. Four years later appeared Edward
Chiera's posthumous volume Sumerian Epics and
Myths containing three fragments in the Uni-
versity Museum; in the introduction, prepared by
the present writer, to that volume, all he could
say was that they were part of a most important
group of e-dub-ba documents whose interpretation
was still in its earliest stages. Some five years
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later the writer copied five pieces in the Museum
of the Ancient Orient, one of which was a fairly
well preserved four-column tablet on which had
been inscribed the entire text of our composition.
As stated in volume 60 of this JOURNAL (1940),
pp. 247-8, it was now possible for the first time to
realize its full length and to recognize the real
nature of its contents. Since then nine more
pieces belonging to the University Museum have
been identified by the writer, ranging from a well
preserved four-column tablet to small fragments
containing no more than a few broken lines.
So much for the original text of the composi-
tion. As for translations, the first significant at-
tempt to translate the first part of the tablet was
made by Thorkild Jacobsen and his student Ron-
ald Williams; the manuscript which I had the
opportunity of examining is still unpublished. In
1944, Maurus Witzel attempted to translate parts
of the text, cf. Orientalia N. S. 44. 288 if. Just
last year, Adam Falkenstein published in Die Welt
des Orients, an excellent translation of the first
twenty-six lines of our composition as inscribed
on the Louvre tablet published by De Genouillac,
as well as a fair rendering of seventeen lines from
the middle of the composition reconstructed from
five of the published fragments (throughout this
study Falkenstein's paper will be abbreviated as
Falk.). The present study attempts for the first
time to reconstruct and translate the entire text of
the document. As expected, not a few of the
Sumerian lines offer considerable difficulty in
translation and interpretation. The completed
manuscript was therefore given to Landsberger
for further study, and his suggestions and com-
ments are incorporated at the end of this
publication.
The twenty-one extant tablets and fragments
belonging to our 'schooldays' composition are as
follows: SLTN 118- A; TRS 49 -B; CBS
6094 (cf. plates I-II)- C; SLTN 120 - D;
SEM 69 -E; CBS 19826 (cf. plate III; only
side b; side a belongs to a different composition,
cf. note 187)- F; SLTN 123 - G; N 3565 (cf.
plate III)- H; SEM 66 - I; N 3239 (cf. plate
IV)- J; BE XXXI 37 - K; N 4174 (cf. plate
IV)-L; N 3622 (cf. plate III)- M; N 4189
(cf. plate IV)-N; HA V 18-0; SRT 29-
P; SEM 68 - Q; N 3029 (cf. plate IV)-R;
SLTN 119- S; SLTN 125- T; CBS 15003
(cf. plate III)- U. The tablets listed as CBS or
 'KRYAME-R: Schooldays:A SumerianCompositionRelating to. the Educatioanof a Scribe 201

N are the newly identified pieces in the Univer- K obv.; 39-81 = C obv. ii and rev. iii; 40-53 =
sity Museum; they are adequately photographed E obv. ii and rev. iii; 41-47 L obv.; 42-59 - M=

on plates (I-IV) and the writer did not deem it obv. and rev.; 43-59 - N obv. and rev.; 50-64 =
necessary to copy them by hand. K rev.; 51-58 - N rev.; 52-62 - 0 obv.; 59-63 ( ?)
Line by line, the text of our composition is re- - P obv.; 62-64 =- J rev.; 67-74 = I rev.; 67-74
constructed as follows: 1-20 = A obv. i; 1-26 - 0 rev.; 67-78=-Q obv.; 67-70 =-R obv.; 69-
B; 10-31 -0 obv. i; 15-23=~D obv.; 22-23= 76=11H rev.; 69-74=- P rev.; 69-85 = Sobv. and
E obv. i; 23-29 (and 36)=~F side b; 26-72=A rev.; 74-81 = R rev.; 80-end A rev. iv; 83- =

obv. ii and rev. iii; 29-36 -=G; 29-39 (?)=1H 89 = D rev.; 83-88 = T.; 83-end = U obv. and
obv.; 32-39=1 obv.; 34-39=-J obv.; 34-42=- rev.; 89-end = C rev. iv; 90-end = Q rev.
TRANSLITERATION
dumu-e&dub-ba-a u4-ul-la-la'-A'mme-8'2 i1-du-d&en
e-dub-ba-a-k 1-du-d&-en
6-dub-ba-aa-na-'am'i-ag
dub-mu 'i4sedni'g-ka-gub'l-mu'i-ki-i
dlub-mui'-dim' i-sar i-til-ma
mu-gub-ba-mu ma-an-gub-bu-u's
kin-sig im-'u-mu ma-an-gub-bU_Ug5
u4 e-dub-ba-a du-u"-de' e6k i-du-d'T
e-e 1-tu-ri ad-da-mu al-tus
10. ad-da-mu im-'u-mu xA&in-an-dug,-ma8
dub-mu in-na-an4'ed ad-da-mu mu-un-sag59
igi-ad-da-mu-fk'I-gub-bu-nam10O
nag-ell-tuku a nag-mu-ub-ze'-en12
kiui-e13-tukuninda si-ma-ab"i-ze'-en
gir-mu luhj-ha-ze'-engv'n&gub-ba(,?)-ze-en ga-ba-na-e-s'e15

u4 na-ab-zal-e'8-enum-mi-a-mu mu-un-t(id-d619

ama-mu ii0 bi21-in-na2-ar-ma

20. nig-ka-gub-mu sil-ma-ab e'-dub-ba-a-Mga-du in-na-an 3-dug,
ama-mu ninda-min ma-an-sil-maigi-ni-ta PA mu-ni-ib-ta-ag24
ama-mu ninda-min ma-an-sil-ma e'-dub-ba-a-Mba (?) -du-de-en25
e-dub-ba-a1-i-bal-a26-ke,a-na-'e2 ~ umu-zal-e-'e2 ma-an-dug4-ma219
ni ba-te
ai-mu ba-dar80
1B omits -la-. 17So C; B reads d (1) -g4-zi-ga-ta xi-mu ( !) -ub-en-zd-en.
'B: -6 (! ). 18B omits -e-.
B omits -gub-. 1So C; A and B add -en.
'B: -dt4 for -dim. 20,So C; B and probably D add -mu.
'So B: A omits -w*. 21 So C; B and D omit b4-.
B:-e- for -ti. ""So C; B adds -an-.
B adds -en. "'B omits -an-.
'So B; A: in-na-ra-.. -e.
"So B; in both A and C the verb seems to read "14So C and probably D; B reads ama-mu ninda-miis
mu-da-&9g5(?I)
100C perhaps omits -nam.
25So C and probably D. In B, the line is divided
22 So B; C: -a for -e. into two and reads nig-ka-gub-m4 si-ma-ab 6-dub-ba-a.-
13 B: -en-z6- for z6-en.
13 C:
Adl-gar-krdfor kt-e. 201 SoC; B omits -a-.
14 B inserts -en-. 27So C; B and D: -aJ- for -ie-.
18"So C and probably A; B reads giind.gub ( I) -ba-ab- 2"1So C; B omits -e4*e-.
en-z6-en g$r(17)-mnu lulj-Z&a.ab-en-z6-engab-ba-nd. "11So C and probably E and F; B omits -ma.
"1D: -zi (!). 'I h words ni-ba-te Ad-mu ba-dar are from B which

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202 KRAMER:'Schoolda'ys: A Sumerian Compo'sitiontRelatintg to the Education of, a Scribe

igi-um-mi-a-ma&31 i-in-tu-ri-ma ki ib-za32

ad-da-e'dub-ba-a-mu-dub-mu ma-an-s'ed33
?.im-ta-kud-da
34-as'-e-Se35 36
in-tfLId-d&-en
nig-ka-gub PA ft-NE-NE3 ?-LI'L( ?) NI'G-LI'L ( ?) ni'g-ka-gubin-na-an-za(?)
urn-mi-a a 8-ag-ga-e'dub-bae'n-tar-ri-da-ni
igi i-ni-in-bar TU'JG-DU8-ZU319
hI"tag-tag-gi-da 6'-sila-a" in-ti'id-
nu-nb-sir-rj40-e-S'e

30. ad-da-e'dub-ba-m4 dub-mu-ma-an-tft4

hIU-kisal-1,A-ke, 'Sar-ra-ab-ze-en? bi ( ?) --dug4(?) ki-hunn-ga .

dub-mu 'Suba-e44-ti .45 '-GA . .

dub'6-mu ab-sar-ri' nlg-DU-MU

e~n-nu-tar-ra-bi' KA -SE( ?)50 KAM nu-zu-e
in-. . .-e4 a-na-a's-a'M52 mha-da-nu-me-a 53 inim i'b-ba-e .4 -e-'e in-tftd-de-en
IU-PA-MUS'en ( ?) -na-ke4 a-na-as'-Am5mia-da-nu-me-a5 gut-zi nu-mn-unn5-zi-e4'e
in-tftd-d&en,55
lft-gis'-hur-ra-ke4591 a-na-as'-im60mia-da-inu-me-a 61 -zi-gi-en -2_e-S'e in-tund-d&en63s
lh'-kli-na-ke4a-na-a's-m'a mia-da-nn-me-a6 lib-ta-6-e- se in-tftd-d&en
IU-?-na-ke4 67 a-na-as'-aM68 ma'-da-nun69-me-a ? 'suba_ti70-e4sein-tfid-d'&en
40. li-eme-zilr( ?) -ra-ke4 eme-zir( ?) ..bi'-in-dug4-e-s'e in71_tftd-d6-en
nm-mi-a-mu 'su-zu nu-sag5-sagti-e-se in-tftd-de& en
nam-dub-sar-ra 72 gii bi'-dU73nam-dub-sar-[ra IM4SUB bi'-ag]
um-mi-a_MU74 KA-nj75 nn-mn-e-da-an-..

writes them as a separate line. In C the corresponding
complexes are not clear; they seem to read ni-ba Ad
(?)-mu(?) bit-dar(?)
I"So C; B and F read -mu-ka for -m&.
3' So C; B reads i-tu-re-en ki ma 'b (! -za.
"So C; B: mu-un for ma-an-.
~'So C; B begins the line with im-ta-kud-aA; F omits
-da-aA.
I'lSoC; B omits e-Ae.
"11SoC; B: mu-un- f or in-.
37So C; F and probably A seem to have -ni for the
second -NE.
"11SoF; A, if the- copy is correct, omits -4-.
"9So A and C; F: -za f or -zu.
10So Aand C; F: nu-ub-.
41 So A; G, and H. insert -a- before -mu; C omits -mu.
412In F the last line seems to be line 36 of our text.
'2 The traces in A and H do not seem to agree; in
the latter, one of the legible signs seems to be IBA.
"''So A; G and probably H omilt -e-.
'5 In H, the only text preserved at this point, the
signs may perhaps be GoiA, HIAR (or are both signs really
one?), and ALIM (?).
'~So A; H seems to have l14 f or dub.
'7 So A; F, H, and I add -en.
'.1 So G, H, and I; A seems to add -en.
"11SoA, G, and K; I and perhaps H: KYJ-.
50OIn G and K, the sign seems to be Aft; in I, the sign
seems to be TYJG; in A and H, the sign is not clear.
51So H and J; K: -m4 for -mu.
5 So H, I, and probably G; A and K have -Ae- for -ag-.
J probably omits entire complex.
"14So J and probably A; K omits -e; J probably -bi
for -ba-e.
115So in accordance with the preceding and following
lines., although all the extant text (that is A, J, and K)
have -ie for -as'.
-"ISo in accordance with the preceding and following
lines, although all the extant texts omit the phrase.
1"K: -e- for -un-.
581 Line omitted in H and I; note that this line is
found in' F where, however, it follows the line co'rrespond-
ing t'o line 29 of our text.
"So clearly A; K probably lti-gi,?( !) -~ur ( )-ra-ke 4.
"OSo H and I; A,,J, and K read -Je for aA.
61 So H, I, J, K; A omits complex.
812 So A, H, J, and K; I has -GIM for -gi-en.
In H the position of this line varies.
"So H and I; A, J, and K read -he-.
"So H, I,9 J. and K; A omits complex.
58So A and probably H;* I adds -a; K inserts -an
after -ta-.
"17So A and K; H omits -na-.
88So H and I; A, J, and K read -Ac-for, -a,?-.
So H, I, J, and K; A. om'its- complex.
70 So A and K; H inserts -e- between ba- and -ti.
"1So A; C has an- for in-.
72 So A and C; E omits -ra.
71' So A and C; K probably -du' for -du; E: bi-in-du11
7"So L; A, C, and E omit -M'U.
75So A; E seems to have nI for KA; in C thle traces
point to neither KA nor D3i.

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 KRAMER: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe 203
20

naam-dub-sar-ral6 "a-kal-nima'I7-an-. .
zag-inim-inim-ma nam-dub-sar-ra-tur-ra
zag-nam-ses-gal e&dub-ba-a-'s' na-me na-ma-si-ina..
ninda-ba-nisil-ma-aba-riaha-ra-sil( ?)-mu( ?) 78
sed-nlig-s'ed-6 'Suhe'-mi-bar-ri7
inim-inim-ma-e'-dub-ba-a-g41-la 50

50. dumu-e'-dub-ba-a-ke4-ne 8 1ab-sed-d'e ma-e82hu-mu-un-4ed-d6"83

dumu-e'-dub-ba-a-ke48ni'g bi-in-dUg4-gaad-da-ni inim-ma ba-ni-gi48
urn-mi-a e'-dub-ba-a-ta1'i im-da-ri88
e-a Ai-mu-ni-in-tu89lzag-gu-la90bli-in-tus'91
dumu-e'-dub-ba-a-ke, 92' 'u-kin an-di'b93igi-ni4M al-gub
nam-dub-sar-ra a-na bil-in-zu-na94
ad-da-na915' u-na06"ba-ni-in-si917

ad-da-e'-dub-ba-a-ka-ni08s
g'i-h'j(ilba-ni-de'-e99

60. nam-dub-sar-ra.nfg--galam-galam-ma-bimun-np'-h--n10
sa-dub-ba-al'03 ed-ni'g-'sedki-bfir-b?ir-ra-bi0 igi mu-un-na-si;~ga-a'10,5
gu-si-ma-ab'06kibdul-dul-a-bi0 dalla mu-ni-ne'0

ia-dU'g-naSig4-glu -sa-ga-na a-gim mi-ni-ib-bal-bal

ti'ig ga-ni-MU4ninda ga-na-ba hur 'su-nagat-dull13
ka-S'_ig,-giMll4 ni-ir-damu-na-ni-de'-e
bans'urmu-na-pu"15
' '
ia-dU'g-gasig4-g - -ga-nal"0a-gim mi-ni-ib-bal-ball7
7' E haS T(YG for -ra; probably a scribal error is
involved.
77In E, perhaps, the sign is MA written over an
erasure.
7"1So A and C; M probably has ha-ba-ab- for Iba-ra-.
71So C and probably A; N and probably M insert -im-
before -mi-.
'IOSo A, C., and E; N and probably M insert al-
before -gdl-la.
I"So A and M; C omits -a-; N omits -ke-4.
"12So A, E (m&!(fl)-e(!) and M; N seems to have
a for ma&-e.
"'lSo M and N; E: hu-. ...(the signs are illegible
because of a scribal erasure).
"So C, E, K, and M; A adds -ne.
"So K, M, and probably E; A and C omit -in-.
"So E, K, and M; A and C: -na for -ni.
17 So A; K and M have -NE- f or -ni-; E seems to
omit ba-; N omits the line altogether.
"So A; K and probably N: im-ma-da-an-ri.
"So K., M, N, and probably 0; A and C: i-ni-in-tu-ri.
"IOSoA, K, N, and probably C; M: -gal for -gu.
"'lSo K; N: ba-e- for bi-in-; A (and probably C):
ga- for bit-in.
"19SoK, M, and N; 0 omits -a-; A and C read dumu-
6-dub-ba-a-ke 4-e-ne.
93
So A, K, M, and 0; N: al- for an-.
"4So A; K, M, and 0 insert -a- after -zu-; 0 reads -ni
for -na.
"5So A, C, and K; L and 0: -ni for -na.
9"so A, C) K, M, and 0; N: -ni for -na.
"IIn 0, lines 55-6 are written as one.
"'So M, N, and 0; A and C: -ke.-ne for -ka-ni; C
also omits -a- after -ba-.
"19SoA; K omits -e (the scribe wrote a- -extra -ba.) -
0 inserts -in- after -ni-, and omits -e.
10So A, C, and probably K; 0 omits i-ni.
'11SoA, K, and probably C; 0 and probably P: -ra
f or -ri-en.
102 So A and 0; K om'its -en-.
103 So A and C; 0 omits -a; K inserts -6- between Ad-
and -dub-.
104 So K and probably 0; A omits -bi; P omits -ra-.
105 So A and
K; 0 inserts -an- after -na-; P omits -un-.
106 So A; K omits -ab.
107 So A; P: -la- for -a-.
1081So A; K: mu-na-an-a; P: mu-na-an-6-4[m].
10' So A and C; in K the traces do not point to -gim-.
So probably K; in J, the traces seem to indicate
that -un- was inserted af ter mu-; in A and probably C,
the verb read mu-na-d-6-e; in P, the traces do not seem
to agree with either reading.
11So J and K; A and C: banfur mn-na-an-tuim; in
P the last sign is probably -ab, not -ke4.
112 So A and C; J omits
-gtl,
1"' So C; A seems to have bi- for ga-.
114 So A; C omits -gim.
"1'1 So A and C; Q inserts -un-.
11 So A; C omits ga-; in I, the scribe wrote erron-
eously sig4-5&-ga-ga-na.
"I'So A and I; Q omits -ib-.

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204 KRmERm: Schooldays: A Su~meria of a Scribe
n~Compositirn Relatin' to the Educ4ationm
t'i mu-ni-mu4'18nindal"~mu-na-an-ba20 hur 'Su-na
'2' bl-in-&LI'22
urn-mi-a 'S'-hfi'i-la-ni-taeme mu-na-Du123

nam-dub-sar-ra siag-bi-dB-Sal28l zag-bi-Mitil-la'2`t

fi'g-na-me la-ba-gil-ba-na-za_4Im'28 6u-mu-Ml2' mu-e-s'l-ma'130
ninda-ba-a'-kus'-a_MU131-dirig mu-ni-in-gar'13 nam-dugud mu-e-dahi0,e1S
duidaa
nindlama-rals4 dlama..zuh&a'85
gi-dii-a-zu'88 gag5-gi hu-mu-ra-an-gi-gi'8"
imrn4u-gub-ba-zu hul h&-ri-in-tuku-tuku'8s
seF3-zu-iYnel'89
igi-gub-bi hie-me-en
sag-kal-bihe&me-en
du,10-sa-zu-ii-ne'140
an-ta-gAl-dumu-'6-dub-ba-a-ke4-ne he'-me-en

l'i-tur ad-da ba-an-zu m'a-eU's-sa-ni-me-en

eme i-ri-Du-anam i-ri-tar-ra 143
[ama(?) ]-ad-da-zu 114
inim-bi-ta" u-zi h~a-ra45_gA_gA-_ne4'"
[nlig( ?) .d]nidaba-nin-za nilg-dingir-za-gim E;isKuR-sisKuR-ra ~i-gul mu-na-ga.-
14?
ga
[u]mr-mi-ani'g-ad-da-za-gimsub hja-ra-tfim-hUim
. nam- ?148-um-mi-a-ka'"4 sag-ki4ses'-ga1-1a-ka'50
.-ga,mu-e-gar-ra-zu'5
[gi4-me-a]-a's lVi4ul-a-zu'152
sag5-gi h~u-mu-ra-gA-ga'-n-e-529
[A'-Ag] -ga'-6dub-bapa bi-' Ifi-dim, bi'-ag
90. dnidaba-nin-ki-dim8-manam-mah~-a-nibl-in-dUg4
dnidaba z'a-sal

0 inserts -in- and adds

an'd 5; P add,s -ra;
188 So C
L So C and I; R inserts -in- before -mu,,; A has ga-
ni-mis4. -ra; H reads mus-e; I seems to omit mus-.
119 So C and I; A inserts niida-ba before ninda. 18So P,.5, and probably H; 0: -4m for -e.
120 So A nd C; 0 inserts -isa after mis-; I: -ni-in- for 14So C; H, 0, and S add -ke4 ;P adds -ke4, but omits
-ra- -

1851 and P; 5: -4m for -a.

So 0
1So A, L, and Q; C omits -ma. 186 So C and 5; H: -za for -zus.
18So I; Q omits -in-; 0 omits entire line. In Q the
1175So5; Q omits -an-.
position of lines 67 and 68 is interchanged. "8111So Q; 5: -en- for -in-
128 So A; I, Q, and probably 0 insert -an- after -na-. 189 So
C; R and S omit -4-.
'`4 So I and 5; A and C have -NI for -Ad. "10So C; S omits -il-.
125 So C; J omitS -in-. Instead of gil li-bi'-dtl-a im- ","So C; 5: -la-ke4 for -ta.
ATUB li-bi-in-ag, I reads ba-tu4-il-nam, .4'-mu bi-dilg-ga; 148- So Q and probably C; 5: iil-dirig-bi.
P reads the same as I but has -gi instead of -ga -(note 1"8So A; 5: -ri for -ra.
that -mis is probably a miscopy in P for -nam). '"44So U; 5: -da for -ta; A: -ak for -ta.
IL""So A and C; P adds -a; 0: tis-a for tis-ea; I prob- 1415So 5; T: bui-mu-ra- for ha-ra-.
ably:' sag bi-ais-sa-a. 16So A; S omits -ne.
127 So A and P; I and probably 0 and 5: 4'-ti-t-a; H: 1417 So S and probably A; T: mis-na (?
).-e-gd-gd; D,
e-til-l-a. perhaps, 1l-bi-gd-gd.
1L28 So A and C; 5: la-ba-an-gil-bi-na-zus; 0 has same as 148In D the sign is copied as PA; in U, however, it
S but inserts -a- before -zu; H: la-ba-gil- ?-bi-en ..;P looks more like BUL.
and R: la-ba-gi 4-bi-na-zu. I'llSo A and U; D omits -ka.
'21So H, P, and probably 0; A and C insert -un- 150OSo A; T: -a- for -la-; D: -he4f for -ha.
bef ore -Aek;5: 8ia-mu-uA. ""'So U; A: -uin- for -e-.
111So H, I, 0, P, and 5; A and C omit -e-. 5So A and U; D: -zu (!).
1311So 0; H, P, and S omit -mus; C omits -a-mu. lOaSo A; D: -ni-ib- between -ra- and -ga-.

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KRAMRR: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe 205

TRANSLATION

1. ' Schoolboy, where did you go from earliest days ?'

'I went to school.'
' What did you do in school ?'
'I read my tablet, ate my lunch,
prepared my tablet, wrote it, finished it; then
my prepared lines were prepared for me
(and in) the afternoon, my hand copies were prepared for me.
Upon the school's dismissal, I went home,
entered the house, (there) was my father sitting.
10. I spoke to my father of my hand copies, then
read the tablet to him, (and) my father was pleased;
truly I found favor with my father.
" I am thirsty, give me drink,
I am hungry, give me bread,
wash my feet, set up the bed, I want to go to sleep;
wake me early in the morning,
I must not be late, (or) my teacher will cane me."
When I awoke early in the morning,
I faced my mother, and
20. said to her: " Give me my lunch, I want to go to school."
My mother gave me two " rolls," I left her;
my mother gave me two " rolls," I went to school.
In the tablet-house, the monitor said to me: "Why are you late?" I was
afraid, my heart beat fast.
I entered before my teacher, took (my) place.
My " school-father " read my tablet to me,
(said) " The .. is cut off," caned me.
I . .d to him lunch .... lunch.
The teacher in supervising the school duties,
looked into house and street in order to pounce upon some one, (said) "Your
. . is not . . ," caned me.
30. My " school-father " brought me my tablet.
Who was in charge of the courtyard said " Write," .... a peaceful place.
I took my tablet, .....
I write my tablet, .... my...
Its unexamined part my .... does not know.
Who was in charge of . . . (said) " Why when I was not here did you talk?"
caned me.
Who was in charge of the . . (said) "Why when I was not here did you not
keep your head high ? " caned me.
Who was in charge of drawing (said) "Why when I was not here did you
stand up ? " caned me.
Who was in charge of the gate (said) " Why when I was not here did you go
out ? " caned me.
Who was in charge of the . . (said) " Why when I was not here did you take
the . . ? " caned me.
40. Who was in charge of the Sumerian (said) "You spoke.. ," caned me.
My teacher (said) " Your hand is not good," caned me.

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206 KRAMER:Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe

I neglected the scribal art, [I forsook] the scribal art,

My teacher did not .. ,
..d me his skill in the scribal art.
The . . of words, the art of being a young scribe,
the . . of the art of being a big brother, let no one . .to school.'
' Give me his gift, let him direct the way to you,
let him put aside counting and accounting;
the current school affairs
50. the schoolboys will . ., verily they will . . me.'
To that which the schoolboy said, his father gave heed.
The teacher was brought from school;
having entered the house, he was seated in the seat of honor.
The schoolboy took the . . . , sat down before him;
whatever he had learned of the scribal art,
he unfolded to his father.
His father, with joyful heart
says joyfully to his 'school-father':
'You " open the hand" of my young one, you make of him an expert,
60. show him all the fine points of the scribal art.
You have shown him all the more obvious details of the tablet-craft, of counting
and accounting,
you have clarified for him all the more recondite details of the . ..'
'Pour out for him . . . like good wine, bring him a stand,
make flow the good oil in his . .-vessel like water,
I will dress him in a (new) garment, present him a gift, put a band about
his hand.'
They pour out for him . .like good date-wine, brought him a stand,
made flow the good oil in his . .-vessel like water,
he dressed him in a (new) garment, gave him a gift, put a band about his hand.
The teacher with joyful heart gave speech to him:
70. 'Young man, because you did not neglect my word, did not forsake it,
May you reach the pinnacle of the scribal art, achieve it completely.
Because you gave me that which you were by no means obliged (to give),
you presented me with a gift over and above my earnings, have shown me great
honor,
may Nidaba, the queen of the guardian deities, be your guardian deity,
may she show favor to your fashioned reed,
may she take all evil from your hand copies.
Of your brothers, may you be their leader,
of your companions, may you be their chief,
may you rank the highest of (all) the schoolboys,
80. .... who come from the royal house.
Young man, you " know " a father, I am second to him,
I will give speech to you, will decree (your) fate:
Verily your father and [mother] will support you in this matter,
as [that] which is Nidaba's, as that which is thy god's, they will present
offerings and prayers to her;
the teacher, as that which is your father's verily will pay homage to you;
in the . . . of the teacher, in the . . of the big brother,

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 KRAmm: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe 207

your .... whom you have established,

your manly [kinfolk] verily will show you favor.
You have carried out well the school duties, have become a man of learning.
90. Nidaba, the queen of the place of learning, you have exalted.'
0 Nidaba, praise!
COMMENTARY
Lines 1-3. The contents of these three lines The verbal form i-du-de-en also appears in the fol-
represent a stylistic device utilized by the author lowing passage which supplements significantly our
of the composition to introduce the schoolboy's de- information concerning the e-dub-ba activities.158
scription of his school activities so that in lines 1. ....-am . . . .-ab 159
4 if. the reader is to understand that the boy is . .-am al( ?)-du( ?)-un 16?0
relating to the author his school experiences.153 me-se-am i-du-de-en 161
The complex dumu-e-dub-ba-a, as is pointed out ki-na-me-se nu-du-de-en
in Falk. 175, seems to represent a double genitive
[tuku] mb-bi ki-na-ma-se nu-du-de-en a-na-
dumu-e-dub-ak-a(k).54 The complex u4-ul-la-&m as-am U4mu-e-zal
should mean 'in former days,' that is, perhaps, in
e-d[ub-ba-se du-ui igi-ad-da-edub-ba]-a-zu-
the days when the dumu-e-dub-bawas still a child; se gub-bal62
if so, the dumu-e-dub-ba of this line should not es-kar- [zu sed-da-ab NIGIN-ZU] ig kid-a-
be taken to designate a schoolboy actually attend- ab 163
ing school at the moment, but (as Landsberger has dub-zu [sar]-ra-ab
pointed out to me) one who had attended the dub-[gibil-zu ses-ga]l-zu he-ri-ib-sar-ri164
e-dub-ba in his youth, and is now an alumnus.155
For the plene writing of e-dub-ba-a (lines 2, 3, 168 The passage is restored from BE XXXI 51:3-28
and passim) cf. Falk. 175.156 The verbal form (=A); SEM 71 obv. i (=B); ibid. 70:1-11 (==C); cf.
and SLTN pp. 37-8; it consists of the first
i-du-de-en (line 2), on the surface seems to be a JAOS 60. 253lines of a composition of approximately two
thirty-three
present in form, but: the context certainly de- hundred lines whose contents are still largely obscure.
mands a preterit; cf. particularly line 8 where 159 So according to Langdon's copy; when I collated

there is no u,-ul-la-dm to complicate the issue.157 the tablet (cf. JAOS 60.253) the upper corner was
168 It is to be noted, however, that in the latter half
of this composition (probably lines 47-end), our author
ignores this stylistic device and its implications. Thus
in lines 47-50, the schoolboy seems to be addressing his
father, although there is no introductory line to note
this change. And from lines 51 to the end of the com-
position the author talks of the schoolboy in the third
person and describes his experiences in the usual narra-
tive form.
154 That 4-dub-ba itself is a genitive is obvious from
the meaning which can only be 'house of tablets,' and
from the form e-dub-ba-ka 'in the tablet house' in TCL
XVI 87 v 30, although it is strange indeed that the
genitive k is omitted in all other passages where it is
grammatically justified.
166 Falkenstein, loc. cit. regards u4-ul-la-am with 'seit
langen Tagen' from a more literal 'ferne Tage,' but if
so, the form might have been expected to read u 4-ul-
la-ta; note, too, that Falkenstein's rendering seems to
be less apt in the context.
I' Falkenstein's
explanation is far from satisfactory
since there is no other example to illustrate this phe-
nomenon, but there seems to be no better solution at
the moment.
167 Falk.
175.
broken, and I was thus unable to verify Langdon's copy.
160So according to my collation of the tablet; because
of the doubtful character of the signs, however, I made
no comment to the line in JAOS 60. 253. Note, too, that
the sign resembling EN at the beginning of the line was
no longer there when I collated the tablet; hence I was
unable to verify it.
161Langdon's copy seems to have IGI instead of ME;
unfortunately the first two signs were no longer on the
tablet when I collated it.
162 For the restoration of this line-it is of course
largely tentative in character-cf. line 22. Note too
that these signs A, ZU, and :t, preceding gubba are
probably actually on the original according to my col-
lation sheet. As in a number of other cases I did not
include them in the published collation in JAOS since
at the time they seemed too doubtful.
163 For the restorations cf. line 24; the final EN is
probably an erasure. The reading ig for the sign GAL is
based on the fact that GAL-kid is a compound verb
consisting of a substantive and a verbal root.
t'' For the restorations, cf. line 25; the signs between
-gal and -sar are actually on the original, but in such
poor condition that I considered them too doubtful to
include them in the collation in JAOS. The sign RI
is probably the last on the line, the traces that follow it
are probably those of an erased EN.

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208 K1AMR: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe

10. e-kar-[zu] u-mu-e-ag ni-te-ni-te-a-zu-de ugula-zu ki a-ra-an-Ag

ugula-a-z[u-4] u'-na-dug4-ga-am ugu-mu- (?) ....
mu-4 gi-nu
Translated, the passage reads as follows: 178
.... DUIdug4-ga-ab
1. 179
[sila-a nam-mu-u] n-nigin-e-de-en165 *

.... gur( ?) -ma-ab * * * ?

.-du-un nig-a-ra-dug4-ga-mu ?-zu-? 16 'Whither did you go ? ' 180

e-zu ga-mu-ra-ab-. . 'I did not go anywhere.' 181
ga-na gi4-ma-ni-ib '[I]f you did not go anywhere why are you
ga-ra-ni-ib-gi 157 late ? 182
dug4-dug4-ma-ab168 [Go to scho]ol, stand before your [" school-
20. ga-ra-ab-dug4-dug4 father "] ,13
Read 184 your assignment, open your school-
ga-na dug4-ma-ab
6-dub-ba-a-Mdu-u mu-e-dug4168 bag,185
6-kar-mu bed-daNIGIN-mu ig kid-kld-da 10 17s The translation and interpretation of this interest-
dub-mu sar-ri-da ing thirty-three line passage are full of uncertainties.
dub-gibil-mu ses-gal-mu sar-ri-da 171 The present attempt must of course be considered largely
es-kar-mu A-mu-e-ag kin-gi4-a-mu-4 gi- tentative in character. It seems to consist of a colloquy
between two unidentified individuals; one of these seems
gi4-de 172 to be a young man who still attends school, the other
ugula-a-mu-se u-na-dug.-ga ugu-zu du-u seems to be in some way his superior and mentor. For
mu-e-dug41T another attempt at a translation of this passage cf.
gin-na i-bi-es lu h6-me-en Maurus Witzel, Orientalia N. S. 13.294 ff.
"
til] 174 nam-ba-e-gub-bu-de-en Unfortunately the first two lines, the contents of
which may have been of considerable help for our under-
30. sila-a nam-mu-nigin-d&-en 175 standing of what follows, are largely destroyed, and it
e-sir-ra 176 dib-bi-da-zu-de igi nam-bar-bar- is difficult to venture an intelligent guess at a restora-
tion. The first complex of line 1 to judge from the final
ri-en -&in may perhaps have been an interrogatory phrase;
he-BR-de-en ugula-a-zu ni he-en-de-te( !) 17 note, however, that if Langdon's copy is correct (cf.
note 159), and the line actually ends in -ab, the verb
186 For the restorations which are
by no means certain would seem to be an imperative. Line 2, might perhaps
in this case, cf. line 30; instead of nigin read perhaps have begun with an interrogative complex (cf. note
minni. 160); while al-du-un, if the restoration is correct might
l66 The present reading of the line is based on a re- mean 'I came' or 'you came.' In any case, however,
examination of my original collation sheet; at the time it seems impossible at present to fit the contents of the
of the publication of the collations in JAOS, however, first two lines with that of the immediately following
most of these signs seemed so doubtful that I decided not passage.
to include them at the time. 18sTo judge from the contents of lines 3-5, the young
1e7 The
sign GI is of course a scribal erasure for Gi4. man seems to have failed to report to his mentor, if we
x8 B has du-dug -ma-ab. may use that non-commital term, at the expected time,
"*9B: 4-dub-ba- ( ! ) and the latter seems to be somewhat provoked.
70oB: d.-kar Jed-e-da NIGIN( ) ig kid( ! ) -kid ( ! ) -da; 181The answer seems to be the typically vague re-
C: 6i-kar ged-e-da ( ) NIGIN ig kid (!) -kid ( 1) -da. sponse of a scolded lad.
182 Cf. lines 17 and 23 of the '
171 B: [dub] -gibil-gibil-zu SeS-gal-zu a-ri-ib-sar-ri mu- schooldays' text.
e-dug4; C: dub-gibil ( !) -gibil ( 1) -zu gei-gal-zu ba ( I) - Cf. perhaps line 12 of the 'schooldays' text; the
183

ri-ibs-8ar-ri mu-e ( !) -dug4. restoration is of course doubtful.

172 C omits the first two complexes; also the final 184 The rendering of the root Aed (cf. AS 2. 7 f. for the
-,e of the third complex. reading of the root) as 'read' (that is, 'read aloud,'
173 C: ugula-mu-uS
4-na-dug.-ga- [am] ugu-zu- [uis du-a of course) is quite uncertain; a meaning such as 're-
mu-e-dug4. cite,' 'spell out,' 'figure out,' may perhaps be more
174 C: tilld-a. exact (cf. Falk. 178). The meaning 'read' seems to fit
176 C: nam-ba- for nam-mu-. very well lines 4, 11, and 25 of our 'schooldays' com-
17HC: e-sir-ra( !). position. The root Fed is also found in line 50 of the
177 C omits -a- in second
complex. The final complex same text, but there the meaning is quite uncertain. As
is based on C; A seems to have only &d-NE; perhaps, for the passage quoted in part in Falk. 178, the two
however, a miscopy is involved, one which I failed to lines, SRT 28 rev. 1-2 (= HAV 19 obv. 3-4) can now,
note when collating the tablet. with the help of the unpublished fragment 29-131-195,

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 KRuyAi : Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relatig
wr[ite] your tablet,l86
let your [big brother] write your [new]
tablet for you.187
be restored to read: dub-sar-dim -ag BtR-na-bi ugula-ni
(var. ugula-a-ni) mu-un-na-ni-ib-gi gi4 u -sil4 i14
-gi1
ab-Aed-di-en-na-a (var. omits -en-na-) ba-an-gi.-bi a-ra-
ab-ha-za. The first line seems to mean 'The learned
scribe humbly answers his overseer' (for dim^-ag cf.
comment to line 89; note the same phrase in TRS XVI
45 obv. 9; note, too, that the subject elements seem to
be missing) but the meaning of the second line is quite
uncertain. Uncertain too is the rendering of ged in the
following passages in the 6-dub-ba material (cf. SLTN
36ff.): SEM 59 rev. 8-9= SLTN 114 b 23-4 RT 27
obv. 4-5 (e-Aed-da; note that in SEM 59 rev. 9 the scribe,
according to a collation of the original, probably at-
tempted to write nEDover a DA which he had written
by mistake); SLTN 116 obv. 3, 5 (4-bi-Aed); cf. also
ied-n4g4ed in lines 48 and 61 of our ' schooldays' text,
SEM 67 obv. i 5 and perhaps in SLTN 116 obv. 7 ([ted-
ni]g -4ed). Note finally that eS-kr-zu led-da-ab might
have been expected to read dub-zu led-da-ab (cf. line 4
of the 'schooldays' text); e6-kar and dub may there-
fore be more or less equivalent, that is the 'assignment'
actually referred to the 'tablet' written perhaps on a
preceding day by his 'big brother' for him to study and
copy.
18s The rendering ' schoolbag' for NIGIN is of course
nothing more than a guess based on the context. Accord-
ing to the ' schooldays' text, the schoolboy goes to
school in the morning and comes home toward evening;
he carries his lunch from home with him, and probably
even brings his tablet home to read to his father. It
seems not unreasonable therefore to assume that he
carried with him some kind of a bag or container to
and from school.
186 This line may perhaps be an abbreviated form of
line 5 of our ' schooldays ' text; as for the ' tablet' which
the schoolboy is writing it may be a copy of the one
written for him by his 'big brother' on the preceding
day (cf. line 9), the contents of which he had just
finished reading and studying according to line 7.
187 There seems to be nothing in the 'schooldays'
tablet corresponding to this line, unless the contents of
lines 6 and 7 are in some way related to it, as, at
least on the surface, there seems to be nothing in our
passage corresponding to the contents of lines 6-7 in the
' schooldays' text. In addition to the
big brother's writ-
ing of the schoolboy's new tablet, we read of his ex-
amining a school tablet in PBS X 2 No. 96 rev. 3 (note
that the obv. and rev. of that text should not have been
numbered consecutively as there is a large break be-
tween them) which reads Fe&-gal-e tu-ba-tuS (!) dub-bi
igi bi-ib-gur^-gur6, 'The big brother having seated him-
self, examined the tablet.' This reading of the line,
which is based on a collation of the original, eliminates
the reading ba-ba and the conclusion that the latter word
with a meaning such as 'little father,' was another term
for 'teacher,' (cf. Falk. 181 and 184); eliminated too
is the difficulty noted by Falk. note 50 concerning the
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to the Educatio of a Scribe 209
10. After you have done your assignment,6's
(and) after you have reported to your over-
seer,'89come pray upon me,9?0
reading of the last two signs on the line; these are both
GANATENt in spite of the copies in PBS I 2 98. Note
finally that dub-bi is not to be rendered 'that tablet';
the complex is to be analyzed as dub-e 'upon the tablet,'
and is the regular dimensional object of the compound
verb igi-gur6-gur6 'to lift the eyes repeatedly (upon
something),' that is, 'to examine.'
The big brother (together with the teacher himself)
canes a schoolboy according to PBS I 2 No. 98 rev. 16-
19; cf. Falk. 177 and note that Falkenstein's reading
dunl-duna-na for KA-IA-na is far from assured,' for one
might then have expected the complex to be written as
KA-KA-ga-na. The 'big brother' is also mentioned in
PBS I 2 No. 96 line 10 (leA-gal-zu( !); ibid. 17 ([ei-
gal-a-ni); SLTN 121, line 2 which reads feA-gal-e um-
mi-a igi an-?-gd-gd and which may perhaps be rendered:
'the big brother eyes the teacher'; cf. also zag-nam-ieA-
gal and sag-ki-fe4-gal-la-ka in lines 46-86 of our ' school-
days' text. On the other hand Ae&-galand Ses-ban-da of
SEM 62 obv. 11 and 12 probably refers to real brothers,
not school assistants since they are used in the same
context with li-tab-ba ' partner' ku-li ' friend' and
du o-sa 'companion' (cf. ibid. obv. 6, 10).
Finally the 'big brother' seems to be involved to some
extent in a composition of close to 80 lines which can
now be restored in large part from the following texts
(cf. SLTN p. 36, comment to No. 114, which should be
modified accordingly): SLTN 114 (side a below the
double line and side b), SRT 27-8, SEAM59, HAV 19,
and the unpublished UM 29-13-733, 29-13-498, 29-13-733,
and YBC 7176. Tentatively its contents may be divided
into three sections; the first 28 (?) lines seem to consist
of an address by a ugula, ' overseer' (cf. following note)
to a dub-sar-dim8-ag 'a learned (?) scribe' (cf. note
184); the following 35 (?) lines contain the latter's
reply; in the remaining lines the ummia blesses the
scribe in terms reminiscent of the last section of the
' schooldays ' text.
188 The 'assignment' in this context, unlike that of
line 7, seems to refer to his school activities in general.
189 For the 'overseer' (ugula) in connection with a
scribe or schoolboy, cf. lines 32-33 of our passage, as well
as notes 184 and 187 (cf. also perhaps PA dub-satr in
WVDOG 45. 6) ; he is not mentioned at all in the ' school-
days' text, unless the PA in lines 27 and 36 of that
document has some significance in this respect. For
-4 instead of the expected -ra after ugula-a-zu, cf. e. g.
AJA 53.14, comment to lines 59-67.
"10 Note the very dubious and inadequate rendering
of this part of the line. The translation 'come' for
gd-nu is based on the assumption that it corresponds to
du-u in line 27, although the former is used regularly
merely as an introductory cohortative (cf. e.g. SEM 1
obv. iii 3, 30, etc.). In the complex ugu-mu-4e, the word
ugu can hardly mean 'begetter,' since in that case it
would probably be preceded by a-a 'father.' Cf. also
ugu used with gub in TRS 45, lines 7 and 8.
210 KRAMER Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe
tell 191;
[do not] wander about [in the street],
.... return to me,
* . . that which I said to you .....
I will . .to you your . ..,
come, answer me.'192
'I will answer you.'
'Tell it to me.'
20. 'I will tell it to you.'
'Come, tell it to me.'
'You told (me) to go to school,193
to read my assignment, to open my school-
bag,194
to write my tablet,
my big brother will write my new tablet; 195
after I have done my assignment, to pro-
ceed to my job,196
191
Lines 12-16 are difficult' to fit into the context
because of the numerous breaks; the punctuation marks
at the end of these lines are of course quite uncertain.
Line 13, if the restoration is correct, is identical with
line 30. Line 15 might be expected to' contain an ad-
monition to the lad to heed the speaker's words, but the
breaks are difficult to restore in accordance with this
suggestion. Line 16 might perhaps be expected to say
that the speaker intends to examine the lad to see if
he understood and remembered what he said; that is, it
is assumed that line 16 is closely related to the following
line, but this might turn out to be quite incorrect.
'92Lines 17-21 contain a passage consisting of brief
staccato parallel sentences, which had become more or
less a stylistic cliche in this type of composition, cf.
e.g. KAR 111 obv. 10 if. In lines 19 and 20, note that
for some reason the reduplicated form of the verb is
used, while line 17, 18, and 21 have the simple form.
193 The form du-u (> du-a) is the regular infinitive;
on the other hand, lines 23 ff. use the present-future,
since the relevant acts were to be performed after his
arrival in school.
194 The forms sed-da and kid-kid-da
(note that the
reduplicated root of kid is used in this line but not in
line 7) are probably present-future infinitives, that is,
they are to be analyzed as sed (-e)-da and kid-kid (-e)-da,
rather than ordinary infinitives; cf. the variant ged-e-da
in note 170, as well as perhaps the fact that this line
uses the reduplicated form of kid while line 7 used the
simple form; note, too, the parallel forms sar-ri-da and
gi4-gi4-de in lines 24, 25 and 26.
196 The shift in subject of the infinitive in this line
makes its rendering awkward; note, too, that to judge
from the variant (cf. note 171), the Sumerian too felt
the difficulty.
19 In the verbal form u-mu-e-ag, if the rendering
' after I have done' is correct, the -e- is grammatically
unjustified. The translation 'to proceed to my job,'
for kin-gi4-a-mu-P. gi4-gi4-de, is of course far from
assured; the compound kin-gi4-a (-a?) -gi4-gi4 is found
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(and) after I have reported to my overseer,
to come upon you, you told (me).' 197
' Come, now indeed be a man,198
Do not stand about in the public square,
30. Do not wander about in the boulevard,
When walking in the street, do not look all
around,
Be humble, show fear before your overseer,
When you show terror, your overseer will
like you.... .
Lines 4-12. Cf. for details, Falk. 174 ff. For
lines 4-5, cf. lines 5-8 of the passage quoted on
p. 207-8, and notes 184-188. In line 6, the gub-ba
following mu- seems to be redundant, unless of
course the gub in this complex has a different
meaning than that of ma-an-gub-bu-us; for im-
su-gub, cf. also line 76. In line 12, the rendering
is based primarily upon the context, and is far
from certain.
Lines 13-17. In this passage, which has a highly
poetic ring, the persons addressed may be either
the mother and father, or the servants of the house-
hold; note that strictly speaking the author might
have been expected to introduce this passage with
a line reading approximately: 'I then faced my
father and mother (or the servants of the house-
hold) and said to them.' The rendering of the
first parts of lines 13 and 14 follows a verbal
suggestion by Landsberger, who first saw the im-
plications of the variant sa-gar-kiu (cf. note 13).199
For the particle -e-se, cf. Jacobsen's comment in
AJA 53.17; note, however, that it might have been
in a number of other passages in our 6-dub-ba texts, cf.
SEM 59 obv. 9-11=-HAV 19 rev. 15-17; TRS 45: 27
ff. =-PBS 1 pt. 2 No. 103: 15 ff. Even if the translation
of the complex proves approximately correct, it is still
difficult to gather its real meaning in the context; note,
too, that for some unknown reason the phrase is omitted
in the corresponding line 10.
1'7 For this difficult line, cf. notes 189 and 190.
18s Lines 28-33 seem to begin another address by the
mentor to the young man; they contain some practical
rules of conduct on how to act 'grown-up' and how to
get along with the overseer. However, because of the
breaks and difficulties with the remainder of the text
of this composition (cf. note 158) the particular rele-
vancy of this passage in the context is not too clear.
In line 33 the nam- of nam-bar-bar-ri-en is probably to
be analyzed as na- (i) m (i) -; the rendering ' show terror'
(line 33) is for the reduplicated ni-te.
199 Still difficult is the form e-tuku for the expected
i-tuku; note, too, that nag-mu-ub-ze-en might have been
expected to read nag-ma-ab-z6-en.
 KRAm'En: Schooldays: A Sumeran Composition Relating to the Educatio,n of a Scribe
expected to come at the end of line 17 rather than
line 16. For the reading of PA-UZU as tud (line
18), cf. CT 12, 42, 54b: PAt-dUZU = na-tu-u and
AfO 8. 56, 22: PA-UZUtu-un-aLA = na-du-u (both
passages were cited to me by Landsberger); since
as our text shows, the root represented by PA-UZU
ended in a d, we may assume that its reading was
tud, and that the forms tudu and tunda are noth-
ing but phonetic variants.200
Lines 19-26. In bi-in-na-gar-ma (line 19), note
the unjustifiable use of an infix following the
thematic particle bi- (cf. GSG ? 588).201 In line
21, the rendering 'leave' for PA-ag is of course
uncertain; there seems to be nothing in the two
components which would justify the translation,
but the variant (cf. note 24) seems to point to
some such meaning. In line 22, the variant si-ma-
ab (cf. note 25) is no doubt due to scribal con-
fusion; the same may be said of the inexplicable
ma in note 32. For conclusive proof that ad-da-
e-dub-ba-a (line 25) is an epithet and synonym for
ummia, cf. the passage in line 52-58. Just what
tablet the dub-mu of line 25 refers to is not clear;
it is probably one which the pupil wrote on the
preceding day. In line 26 the rendering ignores
the difficult -da-as (cf. note 34); strange, too, is
the fact that according to this same note, B has
nothing preceding the first verbal form (cf. note
34).
Lines 27-34. The meaning of this entire passage
is quite obscure. Line 27 has something to do with
lunch (cf. line 4). According to line 29, the pupil
gets his second caning from his teacher who (ac-
cording to line 28) seemed to be constantly on the
lookout for any breaking of the school rules, but
just what wrong the pupil had committed is not
clear.202 In lines 30, 32, and 33, it is uncertain
to what 'the tablet' refers. In line 31 we hear of a
lu-kisal-ld, literally, 'man of the courtyard'; it
seems not unlikely, therefore, that the courtyard
was utilized for classroom purposes when the
200
For the problem of the accusative personal elements
with the present-future, cf. JCS 2. 63-4, note 76.
201
As the variant (cf. note 21) shows, however, the
bi- may be a scribal error.
202The real meaning of line 29 is
altogether obscure,
the renderings given in the translation are those which
seem to. be superficially justified, but do not give any
real sense in the context. For TUG-DU8 'fuller,' cf. now
Oppenheim, Catalogue of the Eames Babylonian Collec-
tion, p. 18, note 41.
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211
weather permitted.203To judge from his command
'write' (plural imperative) in the same line, it
would seem that the 'man of the courtyard,' acted
as a kind of proctor and saw that the pupils kept
to their assigned writing tasks. In line 32, if the
rendering 'I took' for su ba-e-ti is correct, the -e-
seems unjustified (cf., too, the variant in note 44).
In line 33, note that ab-sar-ri (cf. too, the variant
in note 47), is a present-future form; just why
the form does not read i-sar-ri (cf. the preterit
i-sar in line 5) is not clear, however. The meaning
of line 34 is altogether uncertain and obscure.
Lines 35-41. In this passage the pupil lists
seven canings which he received from the hands of
seven membersof the school's teaching and admini-
strative personnel. The first, second, and fifth
canings were administered by school officials,whose
duties are uncertain-the relevant text is either
broken or obscure-for speaking,204slouching (?),
and taking something while they were not around.
The fourth and fifth were administered by the
drawing(?) instructor and the gatekeeper for
standing up and walking out in their absence.
The instructor in charge of Sumerian gave him
his sixth caning for some wrong he committed in
connection with Sumerian. And to top it all, the
teacher, who was no doubt also headmaster of the
school, canes him for his poor handwriting.
Lines 42-46. The meaning of this passage is un-
certain and obscure; the translation attributes to
the complexes their more or less superficial ren-
derings. Moreover, it is difficult to fit its contents
into the general context, and the punctuation fol-
lowing each line is highly tentative.205 For the
restoration and translation of line 42, cf. line 70.206
In lines 43 and 44, the verbal roots are broken
away. In lines 45 and 46, the meaning of the
crucial zag of the first complexes is uncertain.207
20S Cf. already Meissner,
Babylonien und Assyrien, II,
327.
20oThe verbal forms ib-ba-e (line 35) and ib-bi (cf.
note 54) seem to be merely phonetic variants.
205 There is also the
possibility that the pupil's ad-
dress to his father begins with line 42 instead of 47,
as is assumed in the translation; cf. perhaps the -e-da-
'with (?) you (?)' in the verbal form of line 43.
206 For the compound gui,-du, cf. also
Falkenstein, At.
Or. 28. 120, note 6. For IM-uUB-ag, cf. AS 12. 85, com-
ment to line 144.
207 In line 46, the first complex, which seems to be a
genitive construction, might have been expected to read
zag-nam-4e?-gal-la.
212 KAMER: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Educatio, of a Scribe

The dub-sar-tur 'young scribe' (line 45) is known plex which is governed by the compound su-bar.
from other sources, cf. SL 139: 50 and Meissner, It is just barely possible that line 49 should go
Babylonien und Assyrien, II, 329. For the ses-gal with line 48 rather than with line 50, that is the
'big brother' (line 46) cf. note 187. two lines should be rendered: 'Let him set aside
Lines 47-50. This passage contains a direct ad- counting and accounting, (and) the affairs that
dress by the pupil to his father, although there is concern school ; 209 but unfortunately the mean-
no line to indicate this shift.208 In line 47, it is of ing of line 50 is too obscure for an intelligent
course quite uncertain whether a-rS.-si, if the res- decision. In line 50, if the rendering is correct,
toration should prove correct, can be rendered by the verbs would be expected to be plurals; the first
' direct the way.' In line 48 note the grammati- complex may therefore be an object rather than
cally justified infix -e at the end of the first com- subject of the verbal forms, and ab-sed-de may
perhaps be better rendered as 'I (or he) will . . ,'
208 Cf. however note 205. Beginning with line 46 we
and hu-mu-un-sed-de, as 'verily he will.. .' Note,
have a duplicating fragment copied by Langdon and
too, that the variants omit ma-e (cf. note 82).
published in PBS 12, 36 which may belong to our com-
position, although it shows a considerably varying text; Lines 51-56.210 These lines offer relatively little
line by line it reads as follows: difficulty in translation and interpretation, except
[zag-nam-AeA-gal e-dub-ba-a-~? na-me n]a-ma-[si-in-..] that several of the variants seem to be the result
[ninda-ba-ni si-m]u-na-ab a-ra ba-[ra-si-mu] of scribal confusion.211 For the passive rendering
[bed-nig-Aed-d]N Au bu-mu-un-bar-[ri] of lu im-da-ri, cf. BASOR 79. 21. In line 54 the
[inim-in] im-ma-4e-dub-ba-a-a[-gAl-la]
[dumu- ]-dub-ba-a-ke4-ne ab-bed-[d/&]
reading an-dib seems preferable to an-tus since at
[a] mu-un-sed-db least on the surface the latter gives no intelligible
ninda-ba-ni mu-da-ab-[si] meaning.
ied-nig-Aed-d&Au mu-un-bar Lines 57-62. In line 58, note the unjustified
a-ag-ga-nam-dub- [sar] -ra-al-gLl-la variant -ke4-ne for -ka-ni (cf. note 98). In line
dumu-ld-i-ke4-ne ki-ik-gi-[pAd ( ?)-da (?) ] gi ma-dW- 59 the
[e-ne] reading of the second sign as tur rather
?u-mA mu-un-ga- [ga-ne] than bandd is based on the fact that the latter is
nam-dub-sar-ra la-la-ba .... regularly written as ban-da in this period. The
. . .-NIG nam-lu-lu- .... reading and meaning of practically every complex
The first six lines duplicate our lines 46-50; the only in line 61 are uncertain; note in particular the
variants are si-mu-na-ab for si-ma-ab (line 57), 4u-mu-
seemingly inexplicable mu-un-na-si-ga-as. In line
un- for b,6-mi- of h4-mi-bar-ri (line 58) ; al-gdl-la for
gdl-la (line 59); the writing of a mu-un-.ed-d& as a
62, as the variants show (cf. note 108), mu-ni-ne
separate line; note, too, the omission of hu- if the is a contracted orthography for mu-ni-in-e.
restoration is correct. The introductory line correspond- Lines 63-65. These three lines conclude the
ing to our line 51 is omitted altogether in the PBS father's words, but these are no longer directed
fragment which continues with a passage that is quite to the teacher but to his household servants, al-
different than our line 52 ff. and reads:
He (the father) gave him (the teacher) his gift,
though there is no introductory line to indicate
he (the teacher) set aside counting and accounting;
the shift. In line 63, the reading ni-ir-da is un-
the current duties of the scribal art certain. In the same line the reading of the verbal
'
the sons of man ' tell me ...., root DU may be tu-m ' bring' or gub ' set up '; in
put (them) in my hand; any case the verbal form might have been expected
in the success of the scribal art, to have the second plural imperative ending ze-
.... mankind ....
en.212 In line 64 mi-ni-ib-bal-bal seems to be a
In line 7 note the st (the fourth sign) is a scribal
erasure. Lines 9-11 (note the scribal omission of SAB
in line 9; the restorations in lines 10-11 are highly 209 So also line 8 of the
passage quoted in the preced-
conjectural) might have been expected to correspond to ing note may perhaps better be taken with the line that
lines 4-6; perhaps the ideas expressed by these two sets precedes it rather than with the one that follows.
o10For lines 52-73, cf. also Falk. 178 if.
of lines may prove to be similar in character; note in
particular that dumu-loi-u-ke -ne and dumu-4-dub-ba- 21l Cf. in particular notes 87 (-NE- for -ni-), 89, 91
a-ke-ne may refer to the same individuals. Note finally (ga- for bi-in-), and 92 (the plural dumu-6-dub-ba-a-
that the left edge of the fragment has traces of two ke4-e-ne for the singular) unless we assume that the
lines; of the first of these only a sign BA is legible; the final e-ne is the separate word ' he.'
GIg ..... 212 Note that this line gave trouble to several of the
second reads GUD(?) ....

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 KRAMER: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe
third person preterit instead of an imperative
plural, as the context seems to demand; 213 perhaps
therefore it should be rendered '(after) he had
made flow' instead of ' make flow.' In line 65 note
the erroneous and confusing variant bi-du,, for
ga-du,1 (note 113). In line 65 (also line 68), if
the rendering of the last part of the line is correct,
the word 'hand' is used for 'wrist.'
Lines 66-68. These lines describe the execution
of the father's command (cf. comment to lines
63-65); the ' they ' in line 66 refers to the servants,
and the verbal forms in lines 66 and perhaps in
line 67, might therefore have been expected to
have plural rather than singular forms. In line 68
note the erroneous and confusing variant ga-ni-mu4
for mu-ni-mu4 (cf. note 118 and comment to line
65 above).
Lines 69-end. Following the introductory line
69, the passage consists of the teacher's address to
his pupil in which he showers him with praises and
blessings. For the rendering of line 79, cf. com-
ment to line 42; 214 the -a of li-bi-du-a is probably
for -in.216 In line 71 the variants (cf. note 126
and 127) seem to have the indicative instead of
imperative forms, and the line may therefore have
to be rendered 'You have reached the pinnacle of
the scribal art, have achieved it completely.' In
line 73, mu-e-dah-e, which on the surface seems
to be a present-future, is taken in the translation
to be a phonetic variant for mu-e-dah-dm (cf. note
133). For dlamar (line 74), cf. Falkenstein, OLZ
43. 353. In line 75 (cf. also line 88) sag5-gi might
perhaps have been expected to read sag6-ga. Since
the contents of line 76 seem to parallel those of
line 75, and since the latter speaks of the reed, the
former might be expected to refer to the tablet;
im-su-gub-ba, therefore, should be synonymous to
a considerable extent with dub. The rendering of
the verbal form in line 76 as ' may she take from,'
seems to be demanded by the context, but must of
course remain quite uncertain. Line 80, according
to the translation, goes with the lines immediately
scribal students who tended to use indicatives for the
imperatives, cf. notes 110, 111.
2~1 Cf., too, the
preceding note.
'4 Note the strange variant -NI for -.A (cf. note 124).
215 Cf. the variant cited in note
125, where the verbal
form ba-tu-4-nam ends in im, while the parallel bi-
dig-ga ends in -a; in accordance with this variant
reading, line 70 should be rendered: 'Young man you
sat (all attention) to my word, you made me happy'
(literally 'made good my heart').
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213
preceding it; however, the meaning and interpre-
tation of the line is quite uncertain, and it is not
altogether impossible that it introduces the passage
which follows.218 In line 81, 'you know a father,'
is of course Sumerian idiom for 'you have a
father.' A more literal translation of line 82 would
read: 'The speech which I gave you, the fate
which I have decreed you (is).' Line 84 seems to
say that the parents will bring offerings and
prayers to Nidaba since that is her due as the
goddess of schools and scribes.217The implication
of line 85 is not too clear; on the surface it seems
to say that the teacher will pay the pupil the
homage due the father.218 In line 86 the usual
meaning of sag-ki, such as 'forehead,' etc. does
not seem to fit the context. The restoration and
rendering of line 79 are uncertain. For lu-dim6
bi-ag (line 89), cf. dim6-ag in note 184.219 For
ki-dim8-ma as an epithet of e-dub-ba, cf. SRT 27,
17; cf. also, SEM 73 obv. 13; rev. 2 and 3.220
APPENDIX
Upon completion of the manuscript, the writer
gave it for study and comment to Benno Lands-
216 On the basis of context, line 80 might perhaps be
expected to say approximately: 'May you be the most
prosperous of the royal officials '; however, it is diffi-
cult at present to get at the real meaning of the
respective complexes.
17' Note the omission of the plural ending in the verb,
but cf. note 146 to the preceding line.
1" The verbal form in line 85 is probably a present
future, ba-ra-tutumu (-e); the transliteration ba-ra-tuim.
tum merely gives the accustomed readings of the signs.
91 For lu-dim -ma with uncertain meaning, in the
presargonic texts, cf. SL 338: 29; the reading dim, for
DnI is chosen here because it is the only attested value
of DP ending in m; cf. also Thureau-Dangin's suggestion
in RA 16.170.
s20 Tablets A, B, and C have colophons following their
texts. In A, the colophon consists of one line which is
largely illegible; in C it consists of one line which reads
.u-na-bi-den-lil 'the hand (copy) of Nabi-Enlil.' In B
the colophon consists of three lines, and is of consider-
able importance since it dates that particular copy to
the first year of the reign of Samsu-iluna, Itammurabi's
son and successor, that is, according to the now generally
accepted low chronology, to somewhere about 1700 B.C.;
this colophon reads:
.... Dtr(?)-Dt( ?)-engar(?)
itu-NE-NE-gar u4-27-kam ba-zal
mu-sa-am-su-i-lu-na-lugal
.... ,the farmer (?),
the month of Simanu, (when) the twenty-seventh day
had come to an end, the year when Samsu-iluna had
become king.
214 KRAMER: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Education of a Scribe
berger, who was in the University Museum at the
time, collating part of its lexical material for his
forthcoming restoration of the ea-mnquseries. The
results, as will soon become apparent, were highly
fruitful. In not a few cases Landsberger has
penetrated the meaning of the text where the writer
failed to do so. And even those of Landsberger's
suggestions which are problematical in character
should prove highly stimulating and not unillumi-
nating. Following is Landsberger's comment in
practically his own words:
Line 1. The term dumu-e-dub-badoes not neces-
sarily refer to a youngster actually attending
school; dumu followed by the genitive does not
imply youth. In this line therefore the dumu-e-
dub-ba is an old graduate of the e-dub-ba, and
u4-ul-la-dm is to be rendered quite as the form
demands 'in (not from) earliest days.' In line 4
the word sed (better sid) should be rendered by
'figure out,' 'calculate,' rather than 'read'; sed
and sar stand for the main subjects of instruction,
and a tablet or an assignment could either be
'written ' or ' calculated.' In the same line nig-
KA-DU (so rather than nig-ka-gub) -mu i-kcumay
mean 'I studied (literally, digested) my instruc-
tions' (that is, the instructions given by the
teacher).
In line 6, mu-gub-ba may refer to the model
tablets from which the pupils copied as opposed to
sar-sub-ba (cf. Falk. 177) which may refer to a
'thrown away' tablet, that is a school exercise.
In line 7 im-su is to be rendered as 'section' or
'paragraph' according to Neugebauer and Sachs
MCT 125. As for the word gub in lines 6 and 7 it
means literally 'to let (the tablet) stand,' that is,
'to put it at the disposal of the pupil for copying.'
Lines 10 and 11 might be rendered: 'I read my
list to my father. I figured up my tablet for him
(and) he found it good.' Line 12 should read:
'I served (literally, stood before) my father.' Ac-
cording to lines 312 and 313 of the proto ea-naqu
series, the reading for NAG (line 13 is enmen (im-
me-LIin 9L I, 34 should therefore read im-me-en),
and the reading for KU (line 14) is sa-gar. The
last two complexes of the variant to line 21 (cf.
note 24) probably read sagar-mu ib-ta-e ' I " drove
out" my hunger.' In line 24 ki ib-za should be
rendered I bowed down (in reverence); for ki-za-
za sukenu, cf. MAOG 4. 306; MAOG 13. 2. 3b.
For nig-KA-DU in line 27, cf. comment to line 4.
Lines 28-29 might perhaps be rendered: ' When the
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teacher asked about the school rules (that is, about
the boy's behavior), the . . (said) "you looked all
around the street, you do not brush your. .-cloth "';
note that I would read the first complex as lu-tag-
lag-gi-da-ke4, in spite of the fact that the last sign
seems to be E rather than LIL. In line 30 the last
sign should read gub rather than tum, and the
meaning of the line is 'My "school-father " as-
signed me my table.' In line 31 the sar of sar-ra-
ab-ze-en means 'chase' rather than 'write'; cf.
PBS 1 2 No. 135, 31 ff. Lines 32-34 probably
continue the speech of the lu-kisal-ld of line 31,
and the verbal forms of these lines are therefore to
be taken as second person singular forms, that is
'you (the schoolboy) took,' 'you will write,' 'you
cannot know.' In lines 35-39, ma-da-nu-me-a is
better rendered as 'without my permission' rather
than 'when I was not here.' In line 36 ma-da-nu-
me-a is not to be restored since the verb is a nega-
tive. Moreoverthe gu-zi of this line is probably to
be equated with the Akkadian kdsu, and the rele-
vant complexes are to be rendered as 'you did not
lift the cup' (perhaps during some common cele-
bration). Note, too, that the first complex might
perhaps be restored to read lu-PA-ukkin-na-ke,.
In the first complex in line 37 gis-hur probably
means ' good conduct' rather than ' drawing.'
In line 39, the first complex reads li-usan-na-ke4
'the man of the whip,' the man responsible for
discipline. The address of boy to the father begins
with line 42, not with line 47 hence the e-da- of
the verb in line 43. The verb gu-du in line 42
means 'to hate' (Akkadian zdru). In line 44,
A.KAL is to be read usu (cf. Goetze, JAOS 65.
225) Lines 47-50 might perhaps be rendered:
'Give him his salary (nig-ba not ninda-ba, so also
line 68) that he may act friendly (literally, give
the way) toward you, that he may free me of
counting and accounting, that (when) in the
course of the school announcements he counts his
pupils, he may count me, too (among them).'
In line 53, zag-gu-la is actually a kind of chair.
Line 54 should be rendered: ' The schoolboy served
him, attended him' (literally, stood before him);
note that su-kin = sitappuru 'service.' Line 59
should be rendered: 'My young one opens his
hands (and) you make wisdom enter (into them).'
Line 61 is perhaps to be rendered: ' Of the mathe-
matical tablets, of counting and accounting, you
explain their solution to him.' In line 62 the first
complex may approximate a meaning such as
 PLATE I

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 PLATE II

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 PLATE III

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 PLATE IV

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 KtRMER: Schooldays: A Sumerian Composition Relating to the Educatio,n of a Scribe 215

'science.' In lines 63 (cf. also line 66), the last the lady of scholarship commanded his superi-
sign in the verb is to be read gub. that is, ' he set ority '; note that according to this rendering; these
up for him.' Line 64 (cf. also line 67) is to be two lines are not part of the teacher's address.
rendered: 'Pour sweet-smelling oil on his back Turning now to the passage cited in Kramer's
and stomach '; note particularly that in the second commentary to lines 1-3, I would suggest the fol-
complex sIG4-gu is to be read mur-gu. Line 71 lowing: Line 1 might be expected to have said
should be rendered: 'Complete the scribal art approximately: 'Come hither.' Line 2 should con-
from beginning to end'; literally, ' Of the scribal tain the lad's answer
approximating 'I am com-
art, finish its beginning up to its end.' Line 72
ing.' The second half of line 5 might perhaps be
should be rendered: 'You have given into my
better rendered 'why did you pass the time (idly).'
hand everything without causing me any diffi-
In line 6 I would read [igi-ugula]-a-zu-se instead
culty'; note particularly that the -en- (-an) fol-
lowing the root gilib = (pardlcu) is the first person
of [igi-ad-da-e-dub-ba]-a-zu-se; in this tablet the
accusative element. In line 74, nin-dlama-ra is ugula plays the role of the ad-da-e-dub-ba. Line 7
probably to be rendered 'the queen, the leading might perhaps be rendered: ' Calculate your as-
angel'; note the name of a gate in Marduk temple signment, solve your quadratics.' In line 11 ugu-
which is written kcd-dlama-a-ra-bi and k-dlama-ra- mu-se is an Akkadianism from ana muhhia. Line
bi. Lines 75-76 might be better rendered by 'May 15 should mean: '... do you know what I told
your pointed reed produce good (work) for you, you?' Line 16 should be rendered: 'I know it,
may your paragraph-tablet be harmed because of I will tell it to you.'
you '; that is, your copy will be so good that the
original will look bad in comparison with it. Line The completed manuscript was also forwarded
80 may perhaps be rendered: 'The man going to to Thorkild Jacobsen for comment. However,
and from in the palace, satisfy him,' that is, sd-si-ni because of the unexpected demands on his time by
is an imperative with the infix -ni-. In line 85, the the Joint Nippur Expedition of the Oriental In-
word nig is to be restored before un-mi-a. Lines stitute and the University Museum, he was unable
89-90 may perhaps be rendered: 'He carried out to complete his study of the text. His relevant
the rules of the school, became a scholar; Nidaba, remarks will appear in a later issue.

AUGUST PFIZMAIER'S TRANSLATIONS FROM THE CHINESE

RICHARD L. WALKER
YALE UNIVERSITY

EVEN THE MOST productive students and trans-
lators of Chinese are occasionally dismayed by the
tremendous bulk of material yet to be made avail-
able in Western languages. Not only the quantity
of this untouched material but also the unusual
difficulty of translating Chinese into the languages
of the West makes it necessary that duplication of
effort be avoided, even though modern students
with their greater specialization and better tools
do more accurate translation work than some which
has been turned out in the past. This is part of the
rationale of a project for collecting all translations
from the Chinese into French, German, and Eng-
lish which has been carried on for several years
by the American Council of Learned Societies and
is being continued at the present time at Yale
University under the direction of Mrs. Martha
Davidson.
The importance of the project has been forcibly
brought home in the past few months in working
over the translations of a relatively unknown Sin-
ologist of the nineteenth century, Dr. August
Pfizmaier. In fact, the published work of this man
looms so large that it deserves to be brought to
light as a unit. Had anyone bothered to work over
Pfizmaier's translations in the past and tie them
down with precise references to the Chinese texts,
much duplication of work could already have been
avoided. For example, Pfizmaier translated the
biography of Li Ssu'a in the Shih Chi which was

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